Certificate in Strategic Innovation

Goal: Provide knowledge and skills regarding innovation
for students who plan to work in existing organizations at graduation or participate in
policy issues related to innovation.

Who is Eligible: Graduate students from any school on campus
in degree programs.

Overview: This certificate program offers a suite of
courses that span Business School courses and the curricula of several colleges and schools at
UW-Madison. The program emphasizes skills in innovation and creating social and economic value within
existing organizations. This program differs
from entrepreneurship because the emphasis is not on founding new firms.
Instead, it prepares students to innovate in existing organizations,
which is the likely career path for most graduates.

The certificate builds on courses
developed and offered over the past decade across campus. It
permits students to have a more formal opportunity to accumulate an
interdisciplinary and integrated body of knowledge related to
envisioning and creating new products and services and ways to structure
and lead innovative organizations and consider the role of innovation in
society.

The program offers a portal to graduate
students who anticipate working in organizations that depend on innovation to compete in the marketplace and use
innovation to create value for society more broadly.

A student who has completed the
certificate will have good foundational skills to prepare an in-depth
new product development plan for an existing organization or consider innovation challenges in society.

FAQs

You must take foundational courses in the Wisconsin School of Business. You may then complement that work with additional courses from the lists shown for each certificate.

For example, the Graduate Certificate in Strategic Innovation requires students to take MHR 715 (Strategic Management in the Life and Engineering Sciences) and at least one course from a set of advanced Wisconsin School of Business courses. The four-course certificate program may be completed with two other courses from the Wisconsin School of Business or elsewhere on campus from the selected list on course requirements.

In addition, you will be expected to participate in opportunities to apply the knowledge, such as the School’s competition, the Business Plan Competition, or other projects.

As one example, a law student who wants to work with small business or start-up clients might take these courses: MHR 722-Entrepreneural Management, Fin 757-Entrepreneurial Finance, LAW 854-Clinical: Law and Entrepreneurship, and LAW 953: Law and Entrepreneurship.

Entrepreneurship

Focus on graduate student who will start a new venture, will work for a new venture in the near future, or wants to gain long-term entrepreneurship knowledge.

Students gain basic knowledge about designing, planning, and funding new ventures; assembling a founding team; completing legal forms for new ventures; determining the growth of young ventures; assessing intellectual property issues for start-ups; and understanding market assessment and development.

Good fit for student with strong interest in new-venture formation who wants to become effective in understanding entrepreneurial processes, the related skills, and the role of entrepreneurship in society.

Strategic Innovation

Focus on graduate student who will work on innovative projects in existing organizations.

Students gain knowledge about imagining and researching markets, managing new product development process in an existing organization, research and development, organizational creativity, business model innovation, intellectual property, and society-level innovation systems.

Good fit for graduate student with deep expertise—in science/technology or the arts, for example—who want to innovate in existing organizations.

Both

BOTH certificates emphasize the business context, and BOTH can be used to probe sustainability and social-mission goals.

Yes, but a student may not use the same advanced Wisconsin School of Business course to acquire two certificates (i.e., MHR 715 - Strategic Management of Innovation, MHR 722 - Entrepreneurial Management, and MHR741 - Technology Entrepreneurship cannot be counted for more than one certificate).

The certificate in strategic innovation requires a minimum of 12 credits, which includes the required foundation course, advanced innovation coursework, and electives from across the campus. The slate of coursework options available for fulfilling the certificate program is shown in the accompanying table. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in related non-credit innovation immersion experiences via competitions.

The foundation course has no prerequisites and is open to all graduate students on campus. A total of 12 credits is required. Students will: 1) take one required foundation course (MHR 715 - Strategic Management of Innovation); 2) choose at least three additional credits from a list of Wisconsin School of Business advanced innovation coursework; and 3) select up to six credits of additional courses from other elective coursework or advanced innovation coursework.

Required Foundation Coursework (3 credits):

MHR 715 - Strategic Management of Innovation (Spring)

Wisconsin School of Business - Advanced Innovation (Choose at least 3 credits from list):

MKT 737 – Developing Breakthrough New Products Practicum (Spring)

OTM 860 – Planning for Quality in New Services and Products (Odd Years)

* A student may not use the same advanced Wisconsin School of Business course to acquire two certificates (i.e. MHR 715 - Strategic Management of Innovation, MHR 722 - Entrepreneurial Management, and MHR741 - Technology Entrepreneurship cannot be counted for more than one certificate).

The Graduate Certificate in Strategic Innovation does not prescribe any formal tracks or concentrations. Students are free to assemble a meaningful portfolio of courses given their own specific background and goals. Sample bundles follow:

Engineering student who wants to work in Product Development at a large corporation

MHR 715 - Strategic Management in Life and Engineering Sciences

OTM 860 - Planning for Quality in New Products and Services

BME/IE662-Design and Human Disability/Engineering

ME 549 - Product Design

Biochemistry student who wants to work in Product Development at a large corporation

MHR 715 - Strategic Management in Life and Engineering Sciences

MHR 722 - Entrepreneurial Management

AAE/MHR - 540 Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Technology

AAE875 - Economics of Technology

Biomedical Engineering student who wants to work in Product Development at a large corporation

MHR 715 - Strategic Management in Life and Engineering Sciences

MHR 722 - Entrepreneurial Management

BME/IE662- Design and Human Disability/Engineering

BME 701 - Seminar in Biomedical Engineering

MBA student who wants to lead technology-based product projects in a large corporation

MHR 715 - Strategic Management in Life and Engineering Sciences

OTM 860 - Planning for Quality in New Products and Services

MHR 723 - Business Strategy

MKT 700 Marketing Management

Thank you for your interest in the Graduate Certificate in Strategic Innovation.

Before beginning any coursework, we suggest you consult with your faculty advisor (or, where appropriate, graduate program coordinator).

Note: The application for declaring your certificate must be completed prior to graduation. Your application automatically serves as a declaration of your intent to pursue the certificate. This declaration will become part of your academic record.

Important Downloads

Have you completed all coursework? Would you like the certificate noted on your transcript?

If yes – please download the following so your transcript shows you completed the certificate. Do not submit either form until the semester you will have completed all coursework. Complete and submit both the Certificate Declaration and the Certificate Completion forms to the Management and Human Resources office, room 5166 Grainger Hall.

ContactWisconsin School of BusinessGrainger Hall975 University Ave.Madison, WI 53706